Revolving combustion chamber with lubrication means



Jan. 26, 1954 G. BOULET 2,667,032

REVOLVING COMBUSTION CHAMBER WITH LUBRICATION MEANS Filed Jan. 17, 19504 Shee cS-Sheet 1 I Maw/ og G50 (LC-g? $0 Lu. 57

A Wax? Jan. 26, 1954 G. BOULET REVOLVING COMBUSTION CHAMBER WITHLUBRICATION MEANS Filed Jan. 17, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 7- v-oa/vs yJan. 26, 1954 G. BOULET 2,667,032

REVOLVING COMBUSTION CHAMBER WITH LUBRICATION MEANS Filed Jan. 17, 19504 Sheets-Sheet 3 \k a 6 k j //VVE/V7'0R Q 650062-15 504/1. 5 T g A 7-TOR/v5 y Jan. 26, 1954 G. BOULET 2 ,667,032

REVOLVING COMBUSTION CHAMBER WITH LUBRICATION MEANS Filed Jan. 17, 19504 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED REVOLVING COMBUS LUBRICATTION CHAMBER WITH ION MEANS Georges Boulet, Toulouse, France ApplicationJanuary 17,

Claims priority,

J anuar 1950, Serial No. 138,998

application France y 20, 1949 8 Claims. (01. 6039.08)

ports, provided respectively in each of them are,

periodically brought into register in order to place this space incommunication with the outside and thus provide for inlet and exhaust,and means are provided through which there may be imparted to saidrevolute and surrounding surface a continuous relative rotary movement.

Preferably this jacket is fixed, and the body is rotatable.

In a particular embodiment the inner body is provided with severalcavities or cells distributed round its axis and separately connectableto the outside, thus constituting so many combustion chambers.

In another embodiment, there is a single combustion chamber which takesup the central portion of the inner body all around the axis of thelatter. Whatever the embodiment preferred it may prove beneficial, incertain cases, to lit up a combustion chamber or each combustion chamberas a turbulent chamber. There is, preferabl in one of the surfaces ofrevolution a main exhaust port and a complementary exhaust port,

intended to be connected, for instance, to an auxiliary turbine, andpreferably one and a same port of the other surface of revolutioncooperates consecutively with these two openings.

(in the other hand, when one of the walls of revolution is fixed and isprovided with openings 1 arranged on diiierent generating lines, thereis at least one packing-ring housed in a groove of this wall between anytwo consecutive openings, a groove that is out along a meridian line ofthis surface of revolution, and this packing-ring bears flexibly uponthe outside of the rotary wall in order to keep apart these twoconsecutive openings in a iiuidtight manner.

As examples that are in no Way restrictive, the attached drawingsillustrate various embodiments of the combustion chamber, that forms thesubject-matter of my invention, and these various embodiments show manynovel characteristic features in addition to those such as specifiedabove.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational front view of a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an elevation view of this same chamber seen from the otherside.

Fig. 3 is a corresponding plan view.

Fig. 4 is, on a larger scale, a section along the line IVIV of Fig. 3,also along the line IV-IV of Fig. 5, that is to say through the axis ofthe combustion chamber.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the combustion chamber, along the line V-Vof Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 6 is an outer view of the rotary body of revolution of which theinside forms the combustion chamber properly so-called.

Figs. 7 to 10 are part cross-sections, made in a diagrammatic manner,along the line VV of Fig. 3 and illustrate various stages in theoperation of the combustion chamber.

Figs. 11 and 12 are likewise diagrammatic illustrations of two otherstages in the operation of the combustion chamber but are carried outalong the line XI-XI of Fig.

Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 16 are outside views of certain parts of thechamber illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 17 is an outside view of a set-up side by side in the shape of ahalf-circle of three combustion chambers of the type as shown in Figs. 1to 12.

Fig. 18 is a view of a detail of this set-up.

Fig. 19 shows, as a cross-section through the axis, a modifiedembodiment of the combustion chamber.

Figs. 20 and 21 illustrate respectively, as a longitudinal sectionthrough the axis of rotation and as a cross-section, another modifiedembodiment.

Figs. 22 and 23 finally are diagrams showing heat engines provided withsets of combustion chambers designed in accordance with the inventionand scavenging devices that may be employed with these chambers.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 16, the combustion chamberis formed by the inner cavity of a rotary body of revolution I, in thiscase of cylindrical shape, enclosed inside an outer jacket or casing 2(Figs. 1 to 3 and 6). This body is entirely closed with the exception ofvided with a large central outer journal 4 by means of which this bodyhoused inside a boring of the casing 2 is carried there with theintervention of ball bearings 5 so that it may rotate there on itself.Fluidtight packing-rings 6, shown in greater detail in Fig. 13, areinserted between the end walls of the rotating body and the bearings 5.These packing-rings (Fig. 13) are formed by concentric rings connectedtogether through bars arranged according to the radii, the whole beingcut out from a single piece in sheets of friction metal, preferablyself-lubricating. Rings and radial-bars are encased in suitable groovesof an annular collar located between the bearing and the adjacent endwall of the rotary body. The bars housed in those of the grooves thatare radial result in preventing the rings from turning. Springs 6a (Fig.16) are located in the bottom of the grooves so as to thrust thepacking-rings against the end walls of the rotating body 1. Each of thebearings is held in the casing 2. through a cover 1 fastened at the endof the latter with the intervention of a flexible joint 8 between coverand outer ring of the adjacent bearing in order to make up for anyexpansions. The cover 1 leaves inside the casing 2 a free area orchamber 9 where is housed a gearwheel ID fitted on the outside of thejournal 4. Each journal is hollowed out in its central portion and inthis chambering that emerges outside and forms a kind of cup, is houseda cylindrical member H. A labyrinth joint is provided at 2 between thehead of this member H and that of said cup. A'fluidtight packing-ring itformed like the packing-rings B is inserted in addition round the saidlabyrinth joint between the head of this member and the bottom of thecup of the journal. piece. These packing-rings are fitted in grooves cutin the head of member I l and springs 13a (Fig. 15) are housed in thebottom of these grooves. The member H is provided likewise with acentral cylindrical cavity into which projects the central portion,likewise cylindrical, of the cover 1, a portion formed by an insertedpart 14 in a hole of the cover 1. The member H is prevented from turningby the part It by means of teeth t; provided respectively at the end ofthe member H and on the part 14 and that are engaged with each otherover a portion only of their length in order to enable relativelongitudinal movements of these two parts II and M to take place. Aflexible fluidtight joint I6 intended to make up for axial expansions isinserted between the head of the central cavity of the member il and theend of the part H. The member i! may be used, as shown, as a support fora spark plug i! or an injector I8 arranged axially of the rotating body.For this purpose, the head of the member H is drilled with a hole intowhich is fastened the spark plug or the injector of which the endprojects beyond and. enters into the combustion chamber through acentral hole provided in the end wall of the body. The rotary body l ispreferably, as well as its journals 4, provided with a hollow wall andthe annular chamber 19 ofeach journal is in communication with theinside 20 of the cylindrical hollow wall through holes 2| as well aswith the chamber 9 through communicating holes 22. Each cover I carriesbesides an, outer pipe 23 opening into the chamber 9 so that there maybe thus fixed up, through outside means not shown, a cooling-fluid cir-,culation, for instance, of silicated oil, through he. end chamber. 9,the. holes 22. for. communicationoi these chambers withthe.annularinterior 75 19 of the journals 4, and the holes 22 forcommunicating with the interior 20 of the cylindrical wall of the rotarybody l, for instance as shown by the arrows on Fig. 4. The rotary body,preferably, is made in two parts of which one 24 is formed by an outercylinder into which is threaded the other part 25 that carries thejournals l and longitudinal outer fins 26 on which the outer cylinderforms a clasping hoop. The

casing 2 likewise has internal circulation of a cooling fluid and itswall is provided for this purpose with suitable inner cavities 28 intowhich emerge pipes, not shown, for connecting up with outside means forcirculation of a cooling fluid. On one surface, the casing 2 shows threeopenings 3i arranged as are the ports 3a of the rotary 'body I, so that,at the time of the rotation of the body I, the ports 3a and 3 will passin register with the openings 3!. On the same side (Fig. 1) of thecasing 2 emerge furthermore, on each side of the middle crosswise planeof the casing, two channels 32. On its opposite side (Fig. 2) the casing2 shows again three openings 33 arranged in a similar way to the ports 3and 3a so that the latter will pass also in register with them duringthe rotation of the rotary body l. On this same side emerges alsoanother channel 34', arranged so as to be on the sole path of thecentral port 3 of the rotary body I. All these openings or channels 3|,32, 33, 3A communicate on the other hand with the inside of the centralboring of the casing 2 and longitudinal fluidtight packing-rings 38 arehoused in longitudinal grooves of the boring and bear on the outersurface of the rotary body I in order to insulate these various openingsfrom each other in a fluidtight manner. Injectors 39 or spark plugs 40,or both, may be fastened moreover on the casing 2 at suitable points ofthe latter.

The operation is as follows:

In the position shown in Fig. 5, the ports 3 and and 3a of the rotarybody I are respectively in register with the three openings 3! of thecasing 2 that are capped by a pipe, not shown, through which flows airunder high pressure derived from a compressor or mixer; this air enters,therefore, into the chamber so that the inlet stage corresponds at thisposition. With the rotary body revolving in the direction of the arrow2, the ports 3 and 3a pass in register with the injectors 39 thenwiththe spark plugs M) (Fig. 7). In this position, the injectors 39 mayproceed with any injection wanted, for instance of hydrogen peroxide,amyl nitrite, etc., or injections at one and the same time of several ofthese products and cause ignition of th mixture by the spark plug 40, oragain through the injection of a heat producing liquid. Some of theinjectors 40 may be used also for injecting water. It will be observedthat, under these conditions, the injection and the ignition are made ata fixed non-adjustable point of the cycle, while the axial spark plug 11and injector is enable an injection and ignition to be made at a varyingpoint of the cycle. Naturally, injection and ignition are operated intime relation with the rotation of the rotary body I with the help ofknown devices that will not be discussed here. By carrying on with itsrotary movement, the body I brings its ports 3 and o opposite theopenings 33 of the casing (Fig. 8) and the exhaust takes place throughthese openings 33. that are connected to a main turbine. .Thecross-sections. of the openings 33 are designed in order that there isnot complete excentral port 3 towards the inside.

7 journals of two adjoining rotary bodies.

' hausting, so that, when the central port 3 of the rotary body I comesinto register with the channel 34, there takes place a complementaryexhausting (Fig. 9). The channel 34 is connected to advantage with asecondary turbine. In this position, use is not made of the ports 3a butthey are immediately about to come opposite the two channels 32 (Fig.11). The latter are connected to a delivery device for fresh air thatproduces a scavenging of the chamber while the ports 3a pass in registerwith the outlets of these channels 32 in the casing (Fig. 12). Duringthis same period the ports 3 remain opposite the channels 34 (Fig. sothat the scavenging air escapes through the latter. The cycle is thenended, the ports 3 and 3a again pass opposite the inlet openings 3! ofthe casing 2 and a fresh cycle starts.

With a view to improving and speeding up the combustion, the rotatingchamber shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is fitted up as a turbulent chamber bymeans of a sleeve 43 with spiral cross-section, and of which the wall isdrilled with holes 44. This sleeve is fastened in a fluidtight Way tothe two end walls of the rotary body and it is provided with atangential inlet opening 43 (Fig. 5) positioned opposite a pip at;converging towards the inside of the rotary body I and that extends thethat, when the ports 3 and 3a pass in register with the air-inletopenings 3|, the air coming in through the middle port 3 enters aloneinto the sleeve 43, while the air that goes through the side ports 3afills the combustion chamber outside the sleeve 43. The eifect producedthrough the shape given to the inside of the sleeve 43 is well known andwill not be discussed here. At the instant of scavenging, a portion ofthe scavenging air circulates round the sleev 33 while another portiongoes inside the pipe 46 through the holes 8? then passes through thetangential opening and enters into the sleeve 43.

When several chambers of the type as disclosed above are set together,for instance as shown in Fig. 17 where they constitute a half-ring, thecover 7 is common to two neighbouring chambers and forms portion of anend casing 5| provided with two surfaces each constituting a joint planewith the corresponding abutting end of the casing of the two chambers.Inside each of these casings 5! are two counter-gears 53 (Fig. 18)engaged respectively with gearings l0 fitted on the On each shaftcarrying a gear 53 is fastened a bevel counter-gear 5 and these twopinions engage with two other pinions 55, 55 keyed on each side of thpoint of convergence of the axes of the gearings 53, on a common shaft.On one at least of these end casings 5!, preferably one of those wherethe exit of the cooling fluid is carried out, is fastened in afluidtight manner an electric motor 56 with its shaft arranged at rightangles to the wall on which it is fastened and connected through thiswall to the common shaft of the pinions 55, 55. In the case of a singlechamber, use may be made of a similar device, with the casing 5| thenbeing provided with a single joint face; the arrangement, moreover, maybe made simpler by arranging the casing so that the motor is fastenedthereto with its axis arranged in a parallel way with that of the rotarybody, whereby enabling to drive directly, without the medium '01 bevelcounter-gearings, the gearwheel IE! secured to the rotary body.

Instead of a rotary body provided with only a single combustion chamberconstituted by its central portion, a rotary body may be carried outthat is provided with several separate comets or cells 61 each of whichemerges at the periphery of the rotary body I a through ports arrangedas are the ports 3 and 3a as previously disclosed. As these cells aredistributed round the periphery, it happens that one of them is in thefilling stage, while another is at the ignition stage, a third is beingexhausted and a fourth cell where combustion takes place and those thatare in the process of admission, of exhaust or scavenging. The fluidportion 62 and leaves from .there through the journal 4a of the rotarybody that is drilled with ings 63 and 64 arranged in the end walls ofthe rotary body lb. The casing 2b, still with a double mote sides, so asto be respectively on the passage of the openings 53 and B4 in order tobe used as inlet and exhaust openings. ings 67 and 68 possibly may bearranged likea secondary exhaust and a scavenging in an absolutelysimilar way with that disclosed above in the case of Figs. 4 and 5.

As applied likewise to these modifications, each chamber may be designedas a turbulent cham- Whatever may be the design of the chamber, there ispreferably again a kind of hood for covering the injectors and possiblythe spark-plugs and intended to be traversed by a current of coolingair. Such a hood arrangement is shown in quite a diagrammatic way at Hin Fig. 17, in the case of several chambers set together, where it iscommon to the various chambers.

The air required for the scavenging may be secondary exhaust and thescavenging air leaving from. the passages 34 is brought through a systemof pipes 14 on to the last stages of a tur bine 15 of which the firststages are fed through the exhausting of the chambers l3 and that drivesthe compressor 72 by a shaft 75.

' the modified arrangement as featured in Fig. 23, the scavenging airis'supplie'd by a separate compressorvfllfof :low pressure ofewhich thedelivery 'header- 82 communicates with .an annular header 83 connectedbyseparate ducts 84 to the-scavenging air inletzopenings of thecombustion chambers:85 joined side .by side so as to constitute a-ringcoaxial with the header 83; ,the openings for secondary exhaust anddischarge of the scavenging air from these various chambers are in thesame-way joined together through ducts 86-to an annular header 8*!likewise coaxial. with the chambers and with the header 83 'andconnected to the feed header88 of an auxiliary turbine 89 on the shaftof which is fastened the: compressorBl. The high-pressure-feeding air issupplied tothe chambers 85 bya main compressor 98' arranged in a coaxialway with the ring formed by these chambers on the otherside ofwhichisarranged a'mainlturbine 92 on the shaft of which is'fitted thecompressor 9i.

The-walls of revolution may be made of any suitable material that isable to stand up to quite high temperatures and high pressures, or ifprovided with a coatingthat can stand high temperatures, forinstanceconsisting of ceramics, of fritted metal, of high-temperatureglass-ware, of special alloys, etc. The inlet and exhaust openings'arefurnished to advantage with perlite or fritted metals.

My invention, naturally, is in no way restricted to the details inexecution as illustrated or disclosed. Thus, for instance, there mightbe more than one spark-plug arranged in the end walls of the rotarybody, thespark-plugs then turning with the-latter and being fed by meansof .a conducting ring. The combustion chamber, possibly, may beprovided. withneither injector nor plug arranged in the cylindrical wallof the casing but only on the sides of the latter at the end of the endwalls of the rotary body or on the other hand provided with injectorsand possibly plugs, inserted this cylindrical wall. In the case of fixedinternal body and revolving jacket, the injectors would becarried by theend walls of the internal body-as-well as the openings for theconnection by means of intake of air under pressure and outlet for hotgases.

In every .case, the actual shape of the surface of revolution of theinternal body and of that v of the jacket mayvary greatly, for instancethat of a cylinder with flat end walls, withdished end walls, of asphere, etc.

Use may be maria-obviously, in the chamber, that forms the object of myinvention, ,of any kind of fuel, combustible, igneous liquids,v and theheat delivery may be effected throughsplitting of the atom, etc.

In heat engines, where-there several chambers, the latter may be inanyway suitable to the conditions to be fulfilled, for instance with theiraxes located in a parallel way with-each other, or else, as shown,alongthe sides of a polygon, etc.; speaking generally, any arrangementof the axes .may be put into use as for the'cylinders of a-combustionengine.

What I claimis:

1. In a constant-volume combustion chamber arrangement for gas turbines,jets and other heat engines, including a closed hollow body the wall ofwhich has its outer surface in the shape of a surface of revolution, anouter shell or casing at least partly enclosing said body and having1:811, inner. wallsurface. losely embracing ptleast: a apart of said:surface :of.-.revolution,. said is a set-out of arranged body andvshellbeingxsupported for relative rotary motion about the axis of saidsurfaceof revolution, means for. imparting a continuous relativerotation to said-body and shell, ports provided respectively throughsaid body wall and in the shell and so located that they will be broughtcyclically. into register by said relative rotation between body andshell, and means for cyclically developing heat within said bodyin timerelation with said relative rotation, said casing being stationary andthe body rotatable and provided with at least one hole coaxial with thesurface of revolution and extending through its bottom, said arrangementfurther including a device having an" operative part located inregisterwith said hole in order to be capable of operation within said chamber,asupport for said device, packing means around said hole between thebody and said support and in fluidtight'engagement with said body andsupport, and connecting means connecting said casing and supporttogether to lock the latter against rotation.

2. In a constant-volume combustion chamber arrangement for gas turbines,jets and other heat engines, including a closed hollow body the wall ofwhich has its outer surface in the shape of a surface of revolution, anouter shell or casing at least partly enclosing said body and having aninner wall surface closely embracing at least a part of said surface ofrevolution, said-body and shell being supported for relative rotarymotion about the axis of said surfaceof revolution, means for impartinga:continuous relative rotation to said body and shell, ports providedrespectively through said body wall and in the shell and so located thatthey will be brought cyclically into register by said relative rotationbetween body and shell, and means for cyclically developing heat withinsaid body in time relation with said relative rotation, said hollow bodyincluding an inner cylinder and an outer sleeve fitted thereon andforming a clasping hoop.

3. In a constant-volume combustion chamber arrangement for gas turbines,jets and other heat engines, including a closed hollow body surface inthe shape of a surface of revolution, an outer shell or casing at leastpartly enclosing said body and having an innerwall surface closelyembracing at least a part of said surface of revolution, said body andshell being supported for relative rotary motion about the axis of saidsurface of revolution, means for imparting a continuous relativerotation to said body and shell, ports provided respective y throughsaid body wall and in the shell and so located that they will be broughtcyclically into register by said relative rotation between body andshell, and means for cyclically developing heat within said body in timerelation with said relative rotation, further including a perforatedsleeve disposed coaxially within the chamber and internally designed asa turbulentcombustion chamber, said sleeve having its both ends securedto said body.

4. in a constant-volume combustion chamber as in claim 3, said sleevebeing provided with anopening, and a duct connecting said opening to aport in the surface of revolution of the hollow body.

5. In a constant-volume combustion chamber arrangement for. gasturbines, jetsand other heat engines, ,includinga closed hollow body thewall v.of which. has :its voutersurface in'the shape of a surfaceofrevolution,anouter'shell or casing at least partly enclosing said bodyand having an inner wall surface closely embracing at least a part ofsaid surface of revolution, said body and shell bein supported forrelative rotary motion about the axis of said surface of revolution,means for imparting a continuous rotation to said body and shell, portsprovided respectively through said body wall and in the shell and solocated that they will be brought cyclically into register by saidrelative rotation between body and shell, and means for cyclicallydeveloping heat within said body in time relation with said relativerotation, said casing being stationary and the hollow body provided witha jacket, and said arrangement further including outer hollow journalsaxially provided on said body, bearings carried by the easing androtatably supporting said journals, the interior of said journals beingin communication with that of said jacket, and means for circulating acooling fluid through said jacket from one journal to the other.

6. Lu a constant-volume combustion chamber for producing hot pressuregases, an outer stationary casing having a cylindrical bore, anexternally cylindrical hollow body rotatably fitted within said borewith its wall close to that of the latter, journals axially carried bysaid body, bearings fitted within said bore at both ends thereof androtatably carrying said journals, said casing being provided with holesemerging into said bore and the body with holes through its cylindricalwall, said holes in the casing and the body being so located that theywill be brought periodically into register by rotation of the rotatablebody, at least one cover adapted to be removably secured to said casingto cap an end of said bore, whereby wholly enclosing the rotatable body,and means adapted to rotate said body, at least one of the journals ofsaid body having an extension projecting beyond the associated bearinginto a space between said bearing and the adjacent parts of the saidcasing and cover, and said means adapted to rotate the body chamber alsocapping th adjacent end of the cylindrical bore of the other chamber.

8. In a for produ constant-volume combustion chamber cing hot pressuregases, an outer stationary casing having a cylindrical bore, anexternally cylindrical hollow body rotatably fitted within said borewith its wall close to that of the latter, journals axially carried bysaid body,

bearings fitted within said bore at both ends thereof and rotatablycarrying said journals, said casing being provided with holes emerginginto said bore and the body with holes through its cylindrical wall,said holes in the casing and the body bein g so located that they willbe brought periodically into register by rotation of the rotatable body,

at least one cover adapted to be removably secured to said casing to capan end of said bore, tatable body,

whereby wholly enclosing the roand means adapted to rotate said body,said body being jacketed and said journals including a gear wheel keyedon said extension and a driving shaft projecting into this space.

d their wall pierced with holes through interior of said journals is incommunication with the interior of the jacket of the body on the onehand and with the space bound by said bearing and the adjacent parts ofsaid casing and cover on the other hand, and means for circulating acooling and lubricating fluid serially through said space, journal andjacket.

GEORGES BOULET.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS

